THE GARDEN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26114, 29 March 1946, Page 9

THE GARDEN

Contributed by D. TANNOCK, A.H.R.H.S,

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS “Jonathan,” Waimate.—l would not recommend an application of sulphate of potash at the rate of 41b per tree for your Jonathan apples. What they' probably want is more organic matter, and this could be secured by a mulch of compost, strawy manure, spent hops, or, in fact, anything which will keep the roots cool, encourage them to come to the top and retain moisture. Do not over-crop or over-prune. A suitable manure should consist of superphosphate, two parts, bone dust, one part, sulphate of potash, one part, and nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia, one part. This should be applied at the rate of 4oz to the square yard in the autumn, and the nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia in the spring. W. D., Stirling.—You could shift a young passion plant now. Lift it carefully and Water in. “ Roslyn.”—lt is most likely that the coarse grass on your lawn is ryegrass, and as this will disappear in time with constant cutting you need not worry about it. It would not be advisable to use weed killer, which would destroy the fine and desirable grasses as well as the coarse ones. You are safe to keep on cutting off the tops of the undesirable variety, for without green leaves the roots and underground stems of even couch grass will soon perish. Those who are contemplating sowing down new lawns should keep them cultivated for some time to destroy the perennial and annual weeds.

C. J. R., Caversham.—Are you sure that your apples are not ripe? You should lilt them up in your hand, and if they part easily at the stalk they are fit to collect. The true Ecklinvale is a mid-season variety, but your seedling may' be a bit earlier than the parent. Two good apples for this district are Golden Delicious, which is not a bit like the ordinary Delicious, and Peasgood Nonsuch. This is a dessert and cooking variety. If you want another dessert, plant a Sturmer. Last week I dealt pretty fully with the autumn treatment of heavy soils. Trench at least two feet deep, break up the clay In the bottom of the trench, and bury in as much garden refuse as you can, also cocoa husks or spent hops. Leave the surface rough for the winter, and in spring work in a good dressing of lime, and if possible dig in a good quantity of colce breeze or lime rubble. Never miss an opportunity for stirring up the surface when the soil is dry. but keep off it when it is wet.

AUTUMN COMPOSITES It is remarkable how many of the autumn flowering plants belong to the Composite or daisy family, most of them being classed as hardy herbaceous perennials. They include such plants as dahlias, chrysanthemums, Michaelmas daisies, heleniums, helianthus, rudbeckias, solidagos and asters. What is usually considered to be one flower in the composites is really an inflorescence or collection of flowers placed on a disc or head, and these vary in shape. Some, usually called single flowers, consist of both tubular flowers and ligulate ones. The former, being in the centre, and the latter round the margin, certainly give the appearance of a single flower. Others are all ligulate, and these are often spoken of as double flowers. There are others which are all tubular. Autumn flowering composites can be divided into three sections. Half hardy perennials form one section, of which dahlias are a good example, although these could be classed as hardy herbaceous perennials in most gardens, for they will stand through the winter when growing in a shrubbery or some place where the tubers will not get frosted, and come up strongly in the spring. They are usually taken up, however, and stored in dry soil or sand in a frost-proof shed or cellar, or are covered with soil and scrub or straw and wintered at the bottom of a hedge. In spring they are started into growth in the greenhouse or frame and broken up into pieces taking care that each piece has a bud and potted or boxed. After being hardened off they are planted out in beds or borders in November. Young shoots if taken off with a heel can also be rooted as cuttings with a little bottom heat There are quite a number of types but the dwarf kinds, either smgles;or doubles, are the most suitable for providing a aisplay in The garden. They' will continue to flower until cut down by frost if the old flowers are picked off regularly to prevent them from forming seed The hardy herbaceous perennials are a host in themselves, and, as A hey , r eisv to manage, and are not particular as to soil or situation, they are very useful either in the mlxed . he . r^ ac s?nfbberv in snecial border, or in the shrubbeiy. 'There are three types of ehrysanthemums suitable for the nr ope f ," rl b v ° rd flo werinl Korean Chrysanthemums are perfectly hardy and will stand through the winter and all the frost we are likely to get near Hio ma<;t Thev are, however, more sau. factorv when lifted and divided up and replanted in the spring, or. better still, when raised from cuttings Put In in th. spring in boxes or borders of sandy sou. Thev root quite well without heat In frame or in a box under a sheet of glas--Tnd when rooted, they can be boxed up they a can°b'e n Pitted 5 up into 4-inch pots a^fTe 0d plTntlTg r }Temouttheycanhavc i^LdTTTufbacragrifin'December, ;g lc fc r^ B S™;!'%K sh nr,t p 'wds«« are for cut flowers, which are more valu Ship in early winter, the first buds are passed and two or three shoots taken up from each stem and the next budsta - This will give nice bushy plants 1 w » • many medium-sized typeT winter decorations. The Korean yp which are varied in colour, single* a ■more 1 like a pryethrum than a chrysanthemum, are very hardy and suitable cut V fliwer a s dISP To get good flowers on sar y . HARDY PERENNIALS

Though the hardy perennials can look after themselves, to Jdin^kTnds “ lS s fafy°”Ttt a tM S r lfanft .«e,y fUr.To"tt owr and '“.’Sfe.** the D clump aC It WS necSJar?"f tf iut the younn shoot, of Mlchaa mas da,™ to five on each plant to get plants wmu will flower all the way up the stem and last some time. When limited to a few on the ends of the shoots, through overcrowding, they do not last very long >n flower and are disappoitatlng f There are several distinct kinds ot perennial asters (Michaelmas daisies), but the most popular and useful are the dwaif kinds which are suitable for edgings. The Amellus or medium-growing kinds, with large flowers, of which King George is a tvpe, is one kind, and the Novi-Belgi section, which includes the tall-growing varieties, of, which the chief colours are blue or shades of 'blue and lavender, though there are also pink and white va " rieties, is another. Those which received awards of merit are Anita Bailard, Cloudy Blue, Little Boy Blue, Margaret Ballard. Perrys White, Queen of Colwell Royal Blue, Snowdrift, and Thora Perry. ’ Anthemis tinctoris Perrys var. forms a neat, compact bush covered with golden-vellow daisies, the height of which is two feet. Chrysanthemum Esther Reid ‘is a strong-growing daisy with large white flowers suitable for cutting. Heleniums resemble miniature sunflowers, and they make a brilliant show in the herbaceous border in the autumn. There are tall varieties which grow to a height of six feet, of which Autumnale, Bronze Queen, and Chipperfield Orange are good varieties, and dwarf kinds which grow to a height of four feet, and are therefore more desirable for windy situatons than the tall variety. Of these, Golden Jugend, Madam Canivet, and Moerheim Beauty are desirable varieties. Helianthus (perennial sunflowers) are strongcrowing plants suitable for the back of the herbaceous border or for growing in the shrubbery. Varieties are Daniel Dewer, Quertifolius, and Miss Mellish. Rudbeckias are strong and mediumgrowing plants suitable for the herbaceous border and for cut flowers. The variety Herbstone grows to a height of six feet. Newmanii has orangs-yellow flowers with black centre, and grows to a height of two feet. Purpurea has large open flowers of a rich crimson-purple. Solidago (Golden Rod) Is an important genus of autumn-flowering perennials growing from three to five feet, with immense heads of golden-yellow tassel-like plumes. Varieties are Golden Wings (six feet). Canadensis (four feet), and Virgaurca (three feet). I will have to leave the hardy and half-hardy annuals for another week.